Philippines Earthquake: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the Samar region of the eastern Philippines on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, damaging some homes and property in a coastal community.
The Philippines` seismology agency said there was no risk of a tsunami from the earthquake but warned of the risk of aftershocks.
According to the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs), the preliminary magnitude of the Phillippines Earthquake was 6.5 on the Richter Scale but there have been conflicting reports. The National Centre for Seismology tweeted early this morning that an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 on the Richter Scale had been felt at the Southeastern region of Manila in the Phillippines.
#EarthquakePH #EarthquakeMasbate#iFelt_MasbateEarthquake Earthquake Information No.1 Date and Time: 18 Aug 2020 - 08:03 AM Magnitude = 6.5 Depth = 001 kilometers Location = 11.98N, 123.98E - 005 km S 17° W of Cataingan (Masbate)https://t.co/Dc8lu95Ete pic.twitter.com/aCFWIGL6hO
— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) August 18, 2020
The institute said the quake, which struck at around 8 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 1 km, about 5 km southwest of Cataingan town of Masbate province in the Bicol region
"The possibility of a stronger magnitude aftershock cannot be discounted," agency chief Renato Solidum told the dZMM radio station.
The quake struck in the sea at a depth of 30 km (18.64 miles), EMSC said.
It is said that the tremor was also felt in Mapanas town in Northern Samar province, Legazpi City in Albay province, Lezo town in Aklan province, Iloilo City, Capiz province and many provinces in the central Philippines.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Rodrigo Gonhuran, 30, a computer shop technician based near the epicenter, told Reuters it was the strongest quake he had felt in the area.
"My cabinet and other stuff at home fell down and my neighbours' walls cracked and some collapsed," he said, speaking from the town of Cataingan, which has a population of more than 50,000 people.
The Philippines, which has a population of 107 million, lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is also prone to earthquakes.
(With agency inputs)